Emergency Preparedness & Response

Click HERE for Central's Emergency Procedures Guide

Calling 911 - Fast Facts

• 911 is the ONLY emergency telephone number that may be advertised in Connecticut.
• 911 is for ALL EMERGENCIES, Police, Fire or Emergency Medical
• 911 calls are received at the City of New Britain Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and routed immediately to the Central Police Department when appropriate
  • Do not fear that a 911 call from Central will delay a response
  • Calls made from Central phones ring simultaneously at the Central Police Department and pinpoint the location of the caller on campus

The New Britain PSAP routes all emergency calls to the appropriate first responder including the Central Police via the Central dispatch center, including calls made from cell phones.

Emergency Notifications (Central ALERT)

All currently enrolled students, faculty, staff, and other campus employees have been enrolled in the Central Emergency Notification System (ENS). Click HERE for information on receiving electronic notifications and updating your contact information.

Central's Emergency Notification System (Cental ALERT) focuses on emergency notifications in concert with a public safety response to avert threats and minimize the potential consequences of campus emergencies.

What to Expect:

• External loudspeakers (tones and voice messages (Whelen System) and
• SMS Text/Voice messaging system (Everbridge - all employees and students are enrolled)

What kind of emergencies trigger a Central ALERT? The system is used primarily for:

• Law Enforcement Warning (e.g., an armed intruder)
• Hazardous Condition (e.g., chemical spill)
• Tornado
• All Clear message

What Should You Do?

1. Seek shelter immediately in the nearest building away from doors and windows
2. Seek additional information via the Central website
3. Only call 911 if you or others are in danger (Calling 911 for information prevents the receipt of emergency calls.)

STAY or Evacuate?
As part of its efforts to help safeguard the Central community in campus incidents with the potential for loss of life or bodily harm, the University suggests a protection strategy for the campus titled "STAY.” Unless advised to evacuate a facility (e.g. for a fire alarm) or the campus, or when necessary to flee imminent harm, you should use the STAY strategy. The key components of the STAY strategy are:

• Seek shelter in the nearest building, secure your area, lock doors and windows, close blinds, prevent suspect from accessing victims.
• Tell others so they may take steps to protect themselves.
• Act by taking cover, hiding and staying out of sight; await further information.

You must take measures to protect your safety until the police give the "all clear."

Under the STAY strategy, existing emergency plans and access to shelter-in-place options will be emphasized. It is expected that a large number of people would seek shelter in place in classrooms and major buildings on the campuses. Any decision to lock down buildings would be made on an individual and localized basis within the framework of overall incident management. In other cases you may be required to evacuate your room or building. Announcements may be made within a building by fire alarm or otherwise through the Central ALERT system. If you have access to radio, television or the Internet, use these resources to keep informed and follow whatever official orders you receive.

Shelter In Place Information

Three important things to remember:

1. Remain calm.
2. Do not take unnecessary risks.
3. Follow instructions.

In the event of any emergency requiring a building evacuation, leave the building immediately and move a minimum of 300 feet away from affected buildings. Activate the fire alarm as you leave. Call the University Police Department from a safe location by dialing 911 or 860-832-2375. Do not re-enter the building until emergency personnel declare it safe.

Central ALERT FAQ's - The following are the two most common questions:

• Will a Central ALERT be immediate if not instantaneous? The short answer is NO. However, dispatchers will disseminate information as soon as circumstances permit. This is because:
  • The true nature of an emergency may not be understood immediately.
  • Notice may have to be delayed because emergency response is the primary job of first responders and the first priority of dispatchers is to coordinate and manage that response.
  • Each notification device requires different equipment and a separate activation sequence. This takes time.
  • In some cases the event may be over before there is an opportunity to warn.
  • A notification will NOT be made if, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, doing so will compromise efforts to assist victims, contain or mitigate the emergency.
  • With the passage of time, other staff may become available to provide additional information.
• How much information will I get in a Central ALERT? At least enough information to let you know the general nature of the emergency and to therefore take basic precautions as outlined above.